Dr. Ada Chung

2006 Research Trainee Award, Post-Doctoral Fellow

Alterations in cellular signalings in human diabetic vasculature contribute to Diabetes-associated cardiovascular complications

The prominence of diabetes as a risk factor for cardiovascular complications has been rising in recent years, largely attributed to increased longevity combined with a non-active lifestyle and an unhealthy diet. Up to 80 per cent of deaths in diabetic patients are related to cardiovascular disease.

The cardiovascular complications associated with diabetes occur when blood vessel walls thicken in response to changes in intracellular signaling within the vascular tissue. Dr. Ada Chung is identifying the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for accelerated thickening of vessel walls and poor blood vessel formation, which lead to vessel blockage, hypertension, angina and other cardiovascular complications in patients with diabetes. Understanding these molecular mechanisms may be beneficial to medical innovations in diagnosis and treatment that can delay the onset and slow the progression of diabetes and its related cardiovascular complications.

Completed award term, November 2008

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